Danny and Ethan Fanfiction Ethan and Danny Fanfic (Omega)
by Anonymous367
Summary: This is a story about Ethan and Danny. THERE ARE MAJOR SPOILERS IF YOU HAVEN'T FINISHED ALL OF SEASON THREE BEFORE READING! Better title and cover to come soon.
1. Chapter 1

**Danny's POV:**

"Ethan?" I yell, knocking on the sliding metal door to his apartment. It's been three days since Aiden died and Ethan hasn't been the same since. I was the first one Scott called after it happened. Ethan was so distraught that he couldn't even stand up and had to be carried back to Scott's house. I remember my stomach churning at just the thought of how Ethan might be feeling; no one was closer to him than his brother. When I walked into Scott's living room, the first thing I saw was Ethan curled up on the floor with tears streaming down his face. Everyone was crying, there wasn't a dry eye in the place, but this was different. It was like I could actually _feel_ the raw sadness and loss he was feeling. Even though she was crying, Lydia was sitting on the floor next to Ethan, trying to wrestle his hands open.

" _You have to stop trying to hurt yourself!" She says loudly. Lydia hears my footsteps and looks up at me slowly approaching my broken boyfriend and her face fills with relief. "Danny's here." She says, slowly letting go of his hands. That's when I see that they're covered in blood. Ethan looks up and his lower lip trembles when he sees me. So many questions are running through my mind but I know this isn't the time to ask. I don't even know how Aiden died. I sit on the floor next to Ethan and I pull his heaving torso onto mine. I wrap my arms around his muscular frame and he turns his face into my chest. Ethan's sobs become louder and he grips my sweater tightly in his hands, so tightly that it was like he was afraid to let go. I remember kissing the top of his forehead and rubbing my hand in circles on his back._

 _Anyone who looks at Ethan has to turn away. I guess that everyone is painfully aware of what they lost tonight and watching Ethan break down is just another painful reminder. "I'm sorry. It's okay to let go, just let it out. I'm right here." I whisper even though I know he won't respond. Ethan's sobs shake both of our bodies and then I start crying too. It hurts me to see him hurting like this and it hurts to know that I'll no longer see Aiden in the hallways at school._

 _By the time Ethan passes out, both of our shirts are soaked in tears and his sobs have turned to whimpers. The only other people here are Stiles and Lydia. Lydia is resting her head on Stiles's shoulder and his arm is absentmindedly wrapped around her. Both of their faces are streaked with dirt and tears but Lydia is staring off into space while Stiles is looking at Ethan. "Both of them died because of me." He says after a while, more to her than to me._

 _Lydia snaps back to reality. "They died because they were stabbed by an Oni while trying to help bring their friend back." She says as if she were correcting him. Either way, I'm still confused by both sentences._

" _Guys, what happened? I have no idea what's going on. All Scott said was that Aiden is gone and that Ethan needs me." I say._

" _Ethan will tell you when he's ready." Stiles says before standing up. "I have to go talk to my Dad. Can you stay with him?" He asks._

" _Of course." I say, deciding then and there that the details didn't matter, only Ethan matters._

" _I'll go with you. Danny, I'll be back tomorrow. Take care of him." Lydia says while dusting off her skirt and I nod. When the two of them leave, I let out a sigh. I don't know how I always get tangled up in situations like this. Throughout the night, Ethan would wake up yelling and I would talk him back to sleep_. _I didn't sleep a wink. The next morning, before Lydia or Scott's mom came home, Ethan spoke for the first time and asked me to take him to his apartment. I tried to convince him to let me stay but he said he wanted to be alone._

That was two days ago and I tried to give Ethan his space but I need to make sure that he's okay. When he doesn't the door after two minutes, my stomach begins churning like the way it did when I walked into Scott's house earlier this week. I pull open the door and step inside uninvited. The door makes a screeching sound that echoes throughout the apartment when I shut it behind me and I flinch. So much for subtlety.

"Ethan?" I call, looking around the bare, unfurnished apartment. My eyes finally settle on a full bed in the corner of the room. I see Ethan's familiar body laying on top of the covers.

"Hey I-" I begin but stop when I see get close enough to see the state of the bed. The sheets are torn to shreds and there is blood everywhere. "Ethan?" I yell, climbing on top of the bed to roll him over. His breathing is shallow and there are five deep cuts in his side with some grotesque bruising around them. There are smaller cuts all over his chest and there are a lot of them. A thin film of sweat covers Ethan's body and he coughs weakly when I try and shake him awake but doesn't open his eyes. I notice the blood on his fingertips and under his fingernails and know he did this to himself.

"Oh my god, I need to call an ambulance." I say, pulling my phone out of my pocket with shaking hands. Ethan's eyes snap open, glowing a brilliant blue color that throws me off guard. He reaches up and grabs my wrist so I can't dial any more numbers.

"No hospitals." He says weakly before his head lolls to the side, my wrist still firmly in his grasp.


	2. Chapter 2

I pull out my phone and am about to dial one of the only other people Ethan has actually ever trusted but my fingers freeze over the numbers. Everyone at school knows that Allison's death has been hard on Scott. I don't think Scott is ready to start saving the world again just yet. I dial Stiles's number and he picks up on the second ring. "Hello?" He asks groggily and I'm stunned that he didn't answer with one of his signature rants. I guess he isn't quite himself either.

"Stiles, I need help. I came over to check on Ethan. I-I showed up and there's blood everywhere. He's in bad shape. It's almost like he tore himself apart. Ethan told me he didn't want to go to the hospital and I didn't know who else to call." I say, my voice shaking.

"I'm on my way over. Derek let Ethan crash at his loft, right?" Stiles says, immediately all business.

"Yeah." I say, already grimacing at the thought of the painfully awkward crush I had on Derek a while ago.

"Okay, I'm going to have to make one stop but I'll be there soon." Stiles says, hanging up without another word. I put my phone in my pocket and try and keep my hands from shaking as I turn around to face the mess behind me.

I know I have to do something to keep Ethan awake, but for every part of me that's telling me to not get involved, there are three more parts screaming with want. When I'm around Ethan, I feel this _pull,_ an irresistibility that I don't feel with anyone else. Even though we broke up a couple of days ago, I hesitantly climb on the bed and straddle Ethan's legs as I gently lay my head on his chest, shaking as I try and support as much of my weight as possible. I fully intended to stay true to everything I told Ethan at school when I walked in here, but, as I lay here with him, I feel a sense of safety, something I haven't felt in a long time. Over the past few months, I've seen and experienced some terrifying things, things I thought only existed in horror movies. Things that rendered me powerless and left me feeling helpless in a matter of seconds. Being with Ethan is something words can't do justice. It's like knowing that the person you love is also one of the things that terrifies you the most. Lying here next to him is like facing my fears and realizing that wasn't so bad. In fact, it feels amazing. How can I tell myself that something is wrong when it feels so right?

The fact that Ethan's glowing, blue eyes belong to the same person that holds my hand in the hallway at school or who asks about my scars and kisses them because he still finds them beautiful is almost unbelievable. Ethan has never hurt me but I know he carries around a lot of guilt because of the people he has hurt. I know it's hard for Ethan to control his "animal" side around me and sometimes it's like I can almost _feel_ him struggling to hold himself together. And that's one of the reasons why I need to let him go. Ethan can't be his true self around me for fear of doing something he might actually regret. In a way, and for lack of a better word, it's like caging a wild animal. It's just cruel and I feel a pang of guilt run through me as I think about how selfish it is that I know this can't last but Ethan has no idea what's coming.

I force myself to focus on the task at hand, no matter how much it hurts that this may be the last time I get to do this. I turn my head, breaking the stillness in the room, before I plant a gentle kiss on Ethan's chest, the taste of dried blood immediately dancing on my lips. I make my way upwards and place a kiss on both of Ethan's collarbones and he groans, a weakness only I know of. Ethan puts his hand on my cheek and I look up, surprised. I see that Ethan's eyes are open and that a corner of his mouth is turned up in a half-smile. "I thought you didn't date werewolves." He says, referring to our conversation on the stairs a couple of days ago.

"I thought you said you were leaving." I retort, letting my hand trail up and down Ethan's muscular chest, tracing a path through all of his wounds.

"I guess I wasn't the only one who couldn't stay away." He says, his voice low and raspy as he tries to fight through the pain and stay conscious. Ethan lets his arm drop to the side and his breathing rattles in his chest. All I can do is watch in horror as Ethan lets his eyes close again.

"Ethan, you have to stay awake." I say, pressing a hard kiss to his lips that goes unreciprocated. I sit up, my heart racing, and begin to try and shake him awake. At that moment, the creaky apartment door slides open.

"Danny boy! Wha-" Stiles begins to say as he hurries into the apartment with Derek right behind him.

"I don't think he's breathing!" I yell, cutting him off, as I press my ear to Ethan's chest again, listing for a heartbeat. Stiles runs forwards and immediately pales at the sight in front of him. "Dude, that's sick, I think I can see his intestines. And does anyone else smell that? Normally, things like this don't bother me. But this? This is disgusting." He asks, gagging, and Derek glares and pushes him aside to get a better look. He assesses the situation, quickly scanning Ethan's still body with his green eyes.

"This might be like the time Scott thought you were dead and wouldn't let himself heal." Stiles says seriously and Derek nods in agreement.

"We have to start the healing process." He says, taking Ethan's wrist in his hands.

"Wait!" Stiles yells, grabbing Derek's forearm before turning to face me. "Danny, you might see some things you've never seen before. Things that mi-" He begins but I hold my hand up.

"I already know what Ethan and Derek are." I say and Stiles looks shocked. "C'mon, I used to practically be a professional hacker, what makes you think that I couldn't get on my computer and do some research like I'm sure you did when you had suspicions about Scott. I was paralyzed at a night club within a few seconds and was totally fine a couple a few hours later. Do you really think I wasn't the slightest bit curious about what the hell happened that night?" I ask. Everyone always manages to underestimate me.

"Well okay then." Stiles says, satisfied, before he claps me on the back as he releases Derek's arm. Derek squeezes and a sickening _crunch_ fills the room as he breaks Ethan's arm. It isn't a clean break either, one where it makes a popping sound and snaps in half. It's the kind of break where the bone shatters into a million tiny pieces and would probably look similar to gravel under an X-ray. Time seems to slow as Ethan shoots up to a sitting position, roaring in agony with his claws extended, as he is ripped out of unconsciousness. In a blind panic, Ethan slashes and snarls, teeth and claws coming right for me. I look into his blue eyes and don't recognize the person behind them. I feel Ethan's claws beginning to scrape my stomach before someone grabs me by the back of my shirt and I suddenly find myself flying through the air.


	3. Chapter 3

**Ethan's POV:**

I try and stand up but Derek pushes me back onto the bed. Pain radiates throughout my whole body and I look up at him, confused and very angry. "Why the hell did you do that?" I yell, fighting to free myself of Derek's iron grip, my heart racing at what I just saw. The sight of Danny hitting the metal support beam in Derek's apartment before his body crumples to the ground replays in my mind over and over again.

"Let me go, I'm trying to help him!" I scream, watching almost in slow motion as Danny tries and fails to sit up, clutching at his chest as he gasps for air. Stiles crouches down next to him and is saying something that I just can't bring myself to focus on. Everything is foggy and it's hard to think.

"I just saved him! You almost slashed right through him. If you hadn't killed him, you would've definitely turned him!" Derek growls.

"Derek, he can't breathe!" I yell, my anger helping to bring everything into focus.

"No human could possibly breathe right after hitting something like that." Derek says.

"Derek, he has a bar in his chest. Not being able to breathe is something that he isn't too fond of. Please, just let me take the pain away." I beg, looking at him momentarily before looking back at Stiles and Danny. My eyes meet Danny's and I see the one thing I was afraid of most: fear. I can almost feel my heart shattering.

Derek growls. "Stiles, make sure Ethan stays right here." He says and Stiles stands up and stumbles towards me. In a second, Danny's hand is in Derek's. I watch with relief as Danny's rigid posture relaxes and his breathing gets slower as Derek's veins turn black.

"Wow Ethan, you look like shit." Stiles says, breaking me out of my trance. "What tore you up like that?" He asks, gesturing to my slowly healing torso as he takes a seat next to me in a spot not drenched with my blood.

I don't say anything and I look at the ground. "Ethan, you need help. You almost turned Danny into a kebob. Unless you want this to happen again, we need to know what happened." Stiles says wearily before running a hand down his face.

"I've been having these nightmares lately." I say, finally breaking the silence.

"Me too." He says quietly.

"Last night, I had a dream that I was at the school again, fighting with Aiden before he died. I was trying to fight off the Oni and I pushed Aiden behind me. It's like I knew Aiden was going to die but I had the chance to save him this time. The Oni dodged every one of my hits but it got a few on me. I remember the sting of the blade as it bit into my skin.

I guess it felt so real because it was. I must've turned while I was sleeping and started trying to fight the Oni in my dream. I attacked myself thinking I was the thing I was fighting. It doesn't make any sense. The last thing I remember was Aiden yelling my name. Then I woke up and I couldn't move." I explain, clenching my hands into fists to keep my hands from shaking.

"Has this happened before?" Stiles asks, going into detective mode. I shake my head no.

"Well we'll just have to make sure it doesn't happen again tonight." He says.

"How?"

"I'll come up with a plan and I'll be back later." Stiles says, glancing over at Danny as Derek drags him over to the couch.

"Stiles, I won't hurt him." I say, knowing exactly what he's thinking. "He'll be okay here."

"He better be or I'll come after you myself. Danny is a good guy. Did you know he knew?" He asks, his eyes scanning my face for answers. He has a weird sixth sense for reading people.

"Not until the day we broke up. But we're not actually broken up as of today." I tell him and Stiles raises an eyebrow.

"Danny will be fine, nothing is broken. Stiles and I have to go check on Scott but we'll be back tonight. I heard everything you were talking about." Derek says, cutting in suddenly as he walks over to us.

"Thank you." I say. Derek nods and Stiles stands up, swaying on his feet. I reach out and grab his arm. "You don't look too good yourself. You okay?" I ask, worried about Stiles' health.

He pulls his arm away. "I'm fine, I'll see you later." He says before walking out of the apartment with Derek right behind him.

"You said it stopped." I hear Derek say as I eavesdrop on their conversation. "How bad does it hurt?"

"It's not bad at all. I told you, I'm fine." Stiles says and that's the last thing I hear before the door screeches shut behind them.


	4. Chapter 4

**Danny's POV:**

I slam into the support beam in the middle of the room after Derek threw me backwards in an attempt to keep Ethan from clawing me to death. I know if I was woken up by someone breaking my arm I would've probably had a similar reaction and I know Ethan didn't lash out at me intentionally but I can't remember the last time I felt pain like this. Every part of my torso is aching but I'm so worried about the fact that Ethan almost died a minute ago that I can't focus long enough to figure out if anything is actually injured. All I do know is that my head is spinning and that every time I try to get up, I can't make my muscles cooperate because all of my movements are slow and uncoordinated. I try and force down the panic that rises in my chest because every time I take a breath, it is followed by a sharp pain. Taking in a full gulp of air is almost impossible and I can only inhale in short gasps. I turn slowly take the pressure off my right side and I make eye contact with Ethan, relieved to see that what Derek did actually worked and that he's awake now.

I see him fighting against Derek to try and help me while Stiles starts walking towards me. I want to tell Ethan that I'm okay but I can't get enough air to actually form the words. For some reason, Ethan always tries to put my well-being above his own. He says something I can't hear to Derek and waves his good arm around. I let my head fall back against the support beam, groaning as I bring my legs to my chest.

Stiles kneels in front of me, "Danny, can you hear me buddy? Are you okay?"

I weakly nod a yes to both questions and Stiles does a quick, sweeping examination with his eyes to make sure nothing is obviously broken and then lifts up my shirt to make sure that Ethan didn't cut me when his claws grazed my stomach.

"There's not even a mark and nothing seems to be totally out of place. You definitely got the wind knocked out of you and you might be a little bruised but I think you'll be okay." Stiles says and I nod thankfully, the way he carries himself momentarily making me forget that he has no medical training aside from maybe a CPR class and whatever he's looked up on the Internet. Stiles slaps me on the shoulder. "Just hang in there." He says. After years of being terrified during many of the scary medical emergencies that I've had, I've learned that panicking doesn't make things any better so I try to sit still and keep myself calm while I wait for my breathing to go back to normal.

"I know you want to make sure Ethan is okay but don't try and move yet. He's alright." Derek says softly, suddenly appearing next to me, and I smile a little at Derek's attempt at emotional reassurance. In the little bit of time that I zoned out, Stiles and Derek must've switched positions; Stiles now trying to help Ethan while Derek tries to help me. "After what just happened, you're _still_ worried more about him than yourself." He says, shaking his head in what could be either disbelief or amusement, a small smile appearing on his face. I look up at Derek, surprised, wondering how he could've possibly known that. But, when I try and ask, all that comes out is a strange croaking noise that tickles my throat and causes me to break into a coughing fit.

Derek pushes my sleeve up and I watch with blurred vision, feeling both fascinated and confused, as he grabs my arm and his veins turn black. I notice that the longer he holds on to me, the easier it is for me to breathe. Derek finally releases my forearm after about ten seconds and he raises his now free hand to wipe sweat from his forehead with a grimace. Whatever he did to me has made me very sleepy and I can't seem to keep my eyes open, can't focus on what the voices bouncing around the room are saying, can't pick my head up enough to see anything but the details in the texture of my jeans.

I'm just so tired all of a sudden that it feels like I am a world away from everyone else, like I can see everyone talking but their words aren't quite registering in my ears. All background noise slows to a stop and I feel myself being lifted into the air as Derek drags me over to the couch, the pain in my back and my chest nothing more than a whisper and the panic rushing through my veins forgotten. Derek lets go of me and I begin to relax into the cool leather of the couch cushions. I watch as he walks away, with Stiles right behind him, and then I let my eyes close. The apartment door screeches shut and I begin to drift off, feeling strangely light.

Suddenly a muffled, strangled noise breaks through the silence of the room and the urgent sense that I've forgotten to do something hits me full force, giving me just enough strength to pull myself out of my sleepy state. I open my eyes and sit up to look over the back of the couch. My heart aches when I see that Ethan is sitting on the cement floor, leaning against the side of Derek's bed for support. He cradles his now mangled looking wrist to his bare chest as he covers his mouth with his other hand, trying to quiet the sounds of his sobs. I shake off the fogginess of the last few minutes and stand up, feeling a little lightheaded at first but I push aside my feelings with every step I take toward Ethan. I know that Ethan is in pain but the pain he's crying about isn't the physical kind. I kneel down next to him and he shakes his head, trying to push me away. This is not the confident Ethan that I'm used to, the one that forces me to let him tie my tie, the one who acts like he's invincible.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." Ethan says, his voice still raw and gravelly. "I didn't mean to hurt you."

"I know and I'm totally fine." I say softly as I bring my hand up to Ethan's face and force him to look at me. "See? I'm alright, whatever Derek did worked scarily well. Better than morphine actually. Where was he when I was fourteen?" I say with a laugh.

Ethan manages a half-smile. "That's one of the better parts of being a werewolf. We have the ability to heal but we also have the ability to take other people's pain away."

"I wish I could take yours." I say quietly, meaning that in more ways than one.

A tear rolls down Ethan's cheek. "I just miss him so much. I don't know what to do anymore." He says, letting his head drop to his chest.

"I wish I could say I know how you're feeling but I don't. I'm sorry, I wish I knew how to help you." I say, my voice becoming shaky.

"D-don't say that." Ethan says, wiping a tear away from his face. "You've been there every step of the way. I don't deserve anything you've done for me."

"No, that's not true and I obviously haven't been here enough, Ethan. You almost died right in front of me. Do you know how scary that was?" I say. Ethan opens his mouth as if he's going to respond but then he hisses and doubles over in pain. "We can talk about this later. You need to heal." I say.

"You don't need to stay. You don't have to sit around and watch this." Ethan says though gritted teeth, trying not to show how much pain he's actually in.

"Actually, I do because I love you and that's what people do for the people they love." I say, brushing his hair away from his sweaty forehead. "Hold on for a second, let me get everything cleaned up."

Ethan just groans as I assume another wave of pain runs through him. When werewolves cut through things, sometimes their claws can cut through things like layers of muscle too. His body is simultaneously trying to close up the gaping cuts in his side, weave the muscles protecting his organs back together, and heal the broken bones in his arm which sounds more like hell compared to how humans heal. Although humans heal slower, they have a lot more ways to relieve the pain of the healing process throughout the whole ordeal. Werewolves can't take their own pain either.

I stand up and pull the bloody, torn sheets off the bed and throw them in the trash. I go to the chest that Derek keeps at the end of the bed and pull out another set, putting them on the bed neatly. Then I grab a towel from the bathroom and run it under the water from the sink. I kneel down next to Ethan and wipe away the blood smeared across his skin. Ethan lets his head fall back, clearly enjoying the cool contrast against his almost feverish body. I wipe the tear tracks and the sweat off of his face, wipe the blood off of his hands where he drove his own claws into them. He grimaces when I accidentally brush the cotton fabric over the cuts on his chest and when I accidentally press too hard on the bruised, tender skin around the deep gashes in his side. Although they're still deep, I can tell that they are finally healing.

Drained of all energy, all he can do is watch as I try and put him back together now. I can feel his injured body twitching under my hands as it works to heal itself. Each contraction and twitch of his skin makes Ethan's face crumple in pain and he often reaches out and squeezes my bicep or my thigh reflexively, looking for some sort of relief. I put the towel down every time Ethan involuntarily flinches or groans in pain and I kiss his forehead, his cheek, his neck, and then sometimes his collarbones as I run my hand over the spot that hurts, trying to take his mind off of it.

I know there isn't much I can do to help his broken arm so when I'm done wiping a lot of the blood away, I pull Ethan to his feet. He stands there, hunched over and shaking until I guide him over to the bed. He isn't able to lay down without hurting either his side or his arm so I sit on the cot and lean against the wall. Ethan lays down on his back in between my legs, his head resting on the pillow laying across my lap. I know I can't take his pain away but I massage his temples and play with his hair until he relaxes enough to start falling asleep. His whole body tenses when I prop his arm up on another pillow and he squeezes my hand, hard, trying not to cry out. I kiss his forehead again, "You should get some rest. Everything is okay now, just sleep." I say and he lets all of his body weight rest against me when he finally passes out.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

I knew I wasn't going to sleep well for a long time after everything that happened today so I sat staring at the ceiling while Ethan slept for five minutes before waking up in a panic. Right now he's pretending that he fell back asleep to make me feel better because he knows I'm worried about him. I can't break myself out of my own thoughts. "I'm sorry I didn't stop by earlier." I say, breaking the silence, and Ethan turns his head a little so I know he's listening.

"Trust me, I never wanted to leave when I drove you over here but we were broken up and you said you really wanted to be alone for a while. If we were dating I would've given you space but I would've slept over because we both know that's what you wanted even though you didn't want to admit it. We were friends first but it's so hard trying to just be friends again, it's hard just being around you when… while I think it's just that we've gotten so used to being more than that at this point. The line between friend and boyfriend is kind of blurry these days and I was afraid to overstep but I should've just stopped being stupid and been here. I didn't know how to be myself around you because just a week ago, a part of being myself meant that I got to kiss you because the me from a week ago had a boyfriend that he could love and now things are different. I'm trying to figure everything out again but I shouldn't have let any of that get in the way of me being here and I'm sorry." I say quickly, wanting to rip off the Band-aid and get everything off my chest. I feel so guilty.

"Danny, it's okay, seriously. What happened to me was a freak occurrence that neither of us could've seen coming, you can't plan for those kinds of things. I don't really know what happened myself but I understand even less why you feel guilty. And yes, I can tell, you reek of it. You have nothing to feel badly about, I'm okay." Ethan says softly.

"Are you really Ethan? Because if I hadn't showed up you would've been dead by now, we wouldn't be sitting here having this conversation! Thank god we ended things on a good note unlike most exes or I wouldn't have been here and today would've had a very different ending." I say, my voice getting louder.

"What the hell does that mean, why are you getting upset?" Ethan asks, confused.

"Because you're not okay Ethan! And I'm apparently the only one that can see that. After all you've been through with Scott and everyone else, starting with the glow in the dark party in this loft all the way to the crappy hand you've been dealt in general, after all you and Aiden have sacrificed for them, this is how they treat you? After your only brother died? Where are they, huh? Has one of them stopped by to check in? If I hadn't been here… That makes me so angry. I know they're going through stuff but so are you, the only difference is that you're going through it alone. And don't take that as pity, the whole not wanting someone to suffer thing usually tends to happen when you care about a person." I rant, completely abandoning my original plan of holding back so I don't upset him.

"Of course I care about you and don't mind one bit being here but it makes me so angry thinking about all of this because when you and I broke up, I thought that at the very least you would be okay because after so long of having only Aiden to rely on, you had found an even bigger family in your new group of friends. I thought you'd found your group, your pack, people you could rely on, people who would have your back. You would've died for them and Aiden did die for them and their cause. Yet where are these "friends" now that it's your turn to need someone? I know that they lost people too but they have families to fall back on and they have each other. Your main support is gone now, you're the only one who lost that." I finish before it slowly dawns on me that talking to Ethan about our breakup and his dead brother right now is probably not helping things at all.

Ethan sits up slowly, grunting with the effort. "No, Ethan don't do that. Could you please relax? See, this is why I didn't want to tell you. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have even said anything." I beg. Ethan sits up and lets his head hang as he stares at the ground which is what he often does when he's thinking.

"I'm not upset. I want to look at you when I say this." Ethan explains, his breathing heavier just with that little bit of movement. Ethan drags his legs off the bed and lets his head hang as he stares at the floor which is what he often does when he's thinking. After what seems like a lifetime of silence, Ethan turns his head to look me in the eyes and my heart beats a little faster in anticipation of his next words. He runs his hands through his hair before speaking which is a dead give away that he's anxious, even the slightest bit.

"Two of the reasons I fell in love with you is because of how fiercely you care about things and how deeply and sincerely you love. Thank you for being here at all, thank you for helping me through this. But, the truth is that, for reasons I can't tell you yet, I don't deserve you. I don't deserve to be with you because I'm not a good person and I'm not going to deny it so please don't you try to either. I've done some horrible things in my life, things I can never forgive myself for, things that will change your perception of me. I promise I'll tell you about my past one day but right now, telling you would just put you in more danger and would put an even bigger target on your back and I want you to be as safe as possible more than anything in the world." Ethan explains, his voice shaking and he looks back down at the floor.

"I don't deserve you just like I don't deserve everything Scott and his pack have given me. There's history there, things you don't know about, and they gave me a chance to right the wrongs I've done all of them. That's all Aiden and I could've ever asked for is a second chance. The fact that we got one is amazing in and of itself, the fact that they let us fight alongside them is something I'm thankful for. If you think the chance to make peace with former enemies happens often, you'd be wrong. I have a lot of enemies, Danny." Ethan says, looking up suddenly, and I'm surprised to see tears in his eyes.

"Aiden and I were planning to leave Beacon Hills once we made things right because the longer we stay in one place, the easier it is for people to track us down. But I don't know what to do now. I don't know how to do this by myself. I can survive on my own, I'll learn how to take care of myself, but I just really miss him. And I'm tired, I'm really tired of running. Without Aiden, the best things in my life are here now and I want to stay. I don't want you to feel like you need to take care of me because I'm living by myself. I'll be okay. And it's not like Lydia, Stiles, Scott, and Isaac haven't reached out to me, I just didn't want them to come because they make Aiden being gone real for me. When I'm with you I can go somewhere else, I don't have to think about that. I know I have to face it soon but I just need to breathe for a little while." Ethan says, a tear slipping down his cheek but he wipes it away angrily.

"Ethan I'm sorry, I'm so sorry that this all happened. Whatever you want to do, I'm here. I'm also staying over tonight though, I hope that works for you." I say, scooting to the edge of the bed and putting my arm around his broad shoulders. He lets his head rest against my arm and I don't know what else to do but hold him and let him know I'm there. Moments later I feel Ethan flinch. "What's wrong?" I ask, my heart skipping a beat.

"I don't know. I've never been sick before, that's almost impossible, but I feel really weird." Ethan says, sitting up straight again so he can rub his temples.

"It might be- wait, when was the last time you ate something?" I ask.

"The day of the fight at the school or the day before." He says casually.

"Are you telling me that the last time you ate something was, at the least, three days ago?" I say in disbelief.

"Maybe? It doesn't matter, I should've been able to go longer." Ethan answers, punching his thigh in frustration. In my mind I immediately imagine a six year old version of Ethan and Aiden, their stomachs growling as they huddle together on the forest floor and my heart breaks for at least the third time this week. I snap out of it and expect Ethan to comment on what he calls my "pity thing" but he doesn't say a word.

"I don't know if you read the "basic human necessities" manual but food is definitely in there. Stop, it's definitely beyond okay to be hungry after three days. I hope you like pizza because I'm going to run out and get one." I say, standing up without thinking and my entire back aches in protest. I wince and arch my back trying to stretch it out.

"You have a little something um… everywhere." Ethan says, gesturing to my shirt which is now completely covered in his blood.

"I need to borrow one of yours." I say, reaching into the duffel bag by the bed and snagging one of his clean t-shirts. I pull mine over my head and Ethan gasps.

"I'm so sorry." He says, his voice heavy with something I can't detect.

"What, what is it?" I ask, not bothering to wait for a response before I walk into the bathroom and look at myself in the mirror.

"There's noth-" I begin to say but stop when I see my back. My entire back, especially between my shoulder blades, is covered in splotches of black and blue bruises. The longer I look the less weird it becomes so I put on Ethan's shirt and walk out of the bathroom. "They're just bruises. I'm fine, it doesn't even really hurt." I lie. I didn't know why my back was so achy but that explains it. "I'll be back in a few minutes." I say and am about t turn around when Ethan grabs me by the front of the shirt and pulls me in for a kiss, the other travelling up my back.

"What was that?" I ask, pulling away breathlessly.

"You were lying." Ethan says with a smirk, holding up his hand and showing me his black veins before all of the darkness disappeared from them.

I shake my head and smile a little before turning around and walking out the front door.

…

I already called my mom and told her that I was staying at Stiles' house tonight. Of course I feel bad for lying but there are some things she just won't understand. When I get back, Ethan downs three water bottles and eats two slices of pizza before I'm even done my first piece. "Goodness, slow down before you choke." I say but Ethan ignores me, starting on a third piece.

"Did someone bring pizza?" I hear someone say right before I hear the door open. Stiles.

Stiles and Derek walk into the room and Stilinski makes a beeline for the food, groaning as soon as he takes his first bite. "Thanks for the food, I'm starving." Stiles says with his mouth full.

"You're disgusting when you eat." Derek says, shooting him a look and Stiles just grins.

"What's up guys?" I ask, becoming more used to their entrances.

"I think we have a possible solution." Derek says, holding up a black bag before letting it drop to the floor and it makes a huge clanging sound, the kind that only metal hitting metal makes.

"Chains?" Ethan and I say at the same time.

"Yep, just like the ones we use when training the betas." Derek says before taking a slice of pizza for himself. "Unless you guys have any better ideas."

* * *

 **Hello to anyone reading this! I'm sorry it's been a while since I've posted but I hope you like this chapter and please let me know what you think! Thank you so much**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

After two hours of hanging out and a pizza later, everyone decided that they were all ready to crash but that meant figuring out the right way to restrain Ethan.

"You know, with all of my sleeping issues this isn't going to help at all. Who in their right mind can sleep like this?" Ethan asks, staring up at all of us. Derek and Stiles had put the leather cuffs on his wrists and then we all pulled the bed away from the wall so that the chains can be clipped to both sides of the metal bed frame, forcing Ethan's arms to be sprawled out.

"Yeah but at least you'll be alive." Derek says with a slight growl. I thought he was breaking out of this permanent bad mood thing.

"I'm taking the couch." Stiles announces.

"Okay I have to run an errand right now anyway." Derek says, adjusting his jacket.

"Can you give me a ride to Scott's house? I need to check on him before I go to sleep." Stiles asks and Derek nods his head.

"Okay, cool, we'll be back later then. Danny I'll bring you an extra toothbrush from Scott's house, they have so many of those over there. Do you guys need anything else?" Stiles asks, turning to us and doing a weird jerky movement with his head. He can't sit still.

"All good here, thank you though." I say.

"No thanks, dude." Ethan says lowly.

"Alright see you later!" Stiles yells, almost falling over as he runs to catch up to Derek who walked away a long time ago.

"Can you just lay down so I can try and forget about these stupid things before I freak out? God I hate this, it brings up too many memories." Ethan says as soon as the door is shut and we're alone.

"So now you need me?" I say, raising my eyebrow and giving him a grin.

"Shut up, please?" He asks, his expression remaining serious if not a little panicked.

"Yeah! I was kidding." I say, the smile dropping from my face. I sit down on the bed next to him and squirm under the covers which includes a blanket that I found in the huge and what I had always thought was a decorative chest until today. Although I probably wouldn't need it because Ethan actually radiates heat.

"You're happy about your blanket, aren't you?" He says, rolling his eyes.

"Shut up." I say, laughing before I very hesitantly put my head on his shoulder. This did not feel like a friends-only sleeping arrangement at all but I really didn't care right now. Ethan does seriously hate being trapped. "Only for a few minutes." I murmur before closing my eyes, telling myself that I would get up and move to the floor when he falls asleep.

"Okay, goodnight." Ethan says softly and it isn't long before the slow rise and fall of his chest puts me to sleep.

…

I wake up to a squeezing pain in my thigh so bad that it is like the worst Charlie horse you can imagine but times a thousand. I gasp, immediately beginning to sweat. I can't help but thrash around as I try and free my leg from whatever is constricting it. I try and sit up but Ethan's arm somehow ended up across my chest so it's like I'm strapped in too. I can feel the muscles in my thigh being crushed against my bone and it won't be long until that gives away too. I struggle upwards as much as possible and look down to see that Ethan had slid his hand down the rail enough and that he was actually the one crushing my leg. His hand wrapped almost all the way around the top and the sides and he was grabbing on so tight that his knuckles were white. I bite my lip to keep from crying out and try and slide under Ethan's arm as much as possible so I can wiggle off the bed.

If I wake him up there's a very high chance he could react badly like he did yesterday morning, especially if he's having a nightmare. I managed to wiggle my torso all the way down to my hips off the bed and I flip over, trying to drag myself away from him but I can't get a good grip on the floor and the rough surface tears into my palms. Tears prick my eyes but I see Stiles' foot peeking out over the arm of the couch and I grab the water bottle I put on the floor before I went to sleep because Derek has no nightstand and I throw it at Stilinki's leg as hard as I can. His leg falls off the couch and he wakes up with a start.

"What the hell, what's going on?" He asks, rubbing his eyes as he shoots upwards and looks around.

"Stiles!" I whisper yell. Stiles looks over and sees me, "Holy shit!" He yells, running over.

"Don't wake him up, don't wake him up." I say frantically. Stiles takes one look at the situation and grabs me by the wrist, essentially making me the rope in a human tug of war. Each jerking movement sends searing pain through me and a couple tears run down my face unintentionally. Stiles is wearing socks and slips a little on the concrete floor.


	7. Chapter 7

**Stile's POV:**

Something hard lands on my chest with a thud, jolting me awake. "What the hell?!" I yell, ready to yell at someone for being stupid, but a strange noise makes my voice catch in my throat and goosebumps raise on my skin. It's similar to the sound tires against the road when someone stops short, that eerie screeching sound. I swivel my head side to side, my heart racing in my chest. "Derek!" I whisper yell, reaching out my leg to shake him awake with my foot. I keep looking around and I'm about to shake Derek again when I look over the back of the couch and see Danny try to crawl off of the bed, dragging himself forward with his hands, hence the strange noise. It's the noise of his skin dragging on the floor. Ethan's hand is wrapped around his leg and he can't get very far without being pulled back. He opens and closes his mouth, his face contorted in pain, as he tries to say something but can't. I jump off the couch, tripping over my own feet as I run to help him.

"Danny wh-" I begin but Danny starts whispering something and I stop talking to listen. I slide to a stop, kneeling down next to him. "Don't wake him up, don't wake him up." He pleads and I nod. I grab his wrists and pull but my own socks slide a little on the hardwood floor. My anxiety becomes almost overwhelming and I begin to panic, Ethan is going to crush Danny's leg. Every tug, any little movement, makes Danny flinch. Suddenly, a pair of much larger hands are put on Danny's wrists, right in front of mine.

"I got it, try and pry his hand open." Derek says lowly and I let out a sigh of relief. I let go and reach over to Ethan to slowly, one at a time, pry open his fingers just the tiniest bit. Werewolves really do have an iron grip. Derek pulls hard and Danny collapses on the ground in a heap, writhing in pain. "Did he cut you?" Derek asks, worried.

"I don't know." Danny says, breathing hard. His hand flies down to his thigh, feeling for any rips in his jeans. "No, it's okay. No puncture marks, just what feels like a Charlie horse on steroids."

"Can you walk on it?" I ask. When I get nightmares and night paralysis, all of my muscles tense and seize and usually standing up is the only way I can stop them from cramping.

Derek reaches a hand down and steps on Danny's other foot so he can pull him up easily. Danny steadies himself and takes one gingerly step forward but his leg buckles almost immediately. Derek rushes forward to hold him up. "Does anything feel broken?" He asks, his brows furrowing in both concentration and concern.

"I don't know, I've never felt anything like this before." Danny says, still panting as a film of sweat breaks out on his forehead.

Derek looks right at me, "Call Scott, tell him we're coming over and that we need to see his mom."

…

Derek and I struggle up Scott's front porch while trying to keep Danny upright between us. The door swings open before we can even knock. "Put him on the table." Melissa says, moving out of the doorway so we can get through. We help him sit up on the wooden kitchen table. "Danny, take off your pants." She says. Danny slides off his jeans without hesitation, wincing as he bends his bad leg so he can wiggle them off. There is already a huge deep, reddish blue splotch spread across the middle of his thigh and I have to look away. "Everyone out." She says, already getting to work.

…

"It's nothing too serious, it will take you out of lacrosse for a few weeks and you're probably going to need crutches for a few days but nothing too bad. Basically, your thigh muscles got crushed against your thigh bone and of course that's going to hurt." Melissa says, helping me limp to the couch in the living room. I try my hardest not to lean too much on her tiny frame. "Don't worry about me, I do this all day, every day. I'm tougher than I look." She says with a smile, catching on. Everyone stands up when I enter the room but as soon as I sit down my eyes start closing.

…

I wake up under a pile of impossibly warm blankets. I turn my head to look around and wince at the ache in my neck and my back. The ache that is radiating throughout my entire body actually. I clench and unclench my stiff fingers and slowly force myself up into a sitting position. Blinking, I turn slowly to each side until my back cracks and I sigh in relief. I check my phone and the first thing I see is a message from Ethan and two missed calls. I'm too tired to deal with anything or anyone right now. I let myself fall back onto the cushions and let the exhaustion of this past week catch up to me


End file.
